Apparatus for transferring a product, liquid or suchlike in a liquid

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for transferring a product, liquid or suchlike into another liquid, comprising the combination of an outer and of an inner element, whereby one of these elements is provided at one extremity with at least one cavity, the capacity of which corresponds to the dose of product or liquid to be handled.

United States Patent Van der Veken 154] APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING A PRODUCT, LIQUID OR SUCI-ILIKE IN A LIQUID [72] lnventor: Germaine Van der Veken, Vrijheidslaan, 171, Brussels, Belgium Filed: Sept. 19, 1969 Appl. No.: 859,308

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data June 27, 1969 Belgium ..49257 US. Cl. ..222/251, 73/425.2, 222/356, 222/366 Int. Cl ..G0lf 13/00, G011 11/10 Field of Search ..73/423, 425, 425.2, 425.4, 73/426, 354; 141/108, 109, 112,110,111,

113, 322; 222/356, 361, 365, 366, 251, 49, 384; 220/41; 206/42, DIG. 11; 166/162; 33/1264; 294/68 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,414,196 12/1968 Legezaetal n ..239/395 x 51 Oct. 10, 1972 2,049,921 8/ 1936 Mosby ..206/ 42 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 40,862 8/1927 Denmark ..294/68 621,291 5/1927 France ..222/361 1,009,000 5/1952 France ..206/42 21,069 8/ 1903 Great Britain ..73/425 Primary Examiner--M. Henson Wood, Jr. Assistant Examiner-Edwin D. Grant AttorneyBacon & Thomas [57] ABSTRACT Apparatus for transferring a product, liquid or suchlike into another liquid, comprising the combination of an outer and of an inner element, whereby one of these elements is provided at one extremity with at least one cavity, the capacity of which corresponds to the dose of product or liquid to be handled.

2 Claims, 37 Drawing Figures Essa- 3 m v i- PAIENImncI 10 I972 3.696 974 sum 1 or 6 IN VE N TOR. 659mm; V/I/V 05R VEKEN 4 TTOKNEYJ PATENTEDBBI 1 01972 SHEET [IF 6 I N VE N TOR. fife/MINE Vmv DEE VEKEN .2 III/[ 1110 PATENTEDocr 10 I972 SHEET 6 0F 6 Fig 55 I N VE N TOR. @EEMfl/NE V/IN DEE VEKEN ATTORNEYS APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING A PRODUCT, LIQUID OR SUCI-ILIKE IN A LIQUID The present invention is concerned with an apparatus for transferring a product, liquid or suchlike, in another liquid, more particularly an apparatus in which a well defined quantity of a certain product, liquid, mixture of suchlike, can be supplied in such a manner that aforesaid apparatus allows this product, liquid, mixture or suchlike, to be for instance hermetically sealed off from its surroundings.

According to the present invention, the term product is understood to mean all substances such as powdered, granular, solid bodies having a certain shape, etc.

More particularly still, the subject of the present invention is a very simple apparatus which permits, amongst others, to take up poisonous, corrosive, dangerous, volatile and suchlike products, liquids, mixtures or suchlike in one or several predetermined doses, whereby preferably the quantity taken up can be hermetically sealed off from its surroundings.

The purpose of the apparatus according to the present invention is also to enter a product, liquid, respectively products or liquids, or suchlike in another product, liquid or mixture, each time without permitting the said product, liquid, mixture or suchlike to come into contact with the air.

It is indeed in certain cases necessary to be able to enter products, liquids or suchlike in a safe manner into an apparatus and by means of such apparatus to introduce such products, liquid, mixtures or suchlike into another product, liquid, mixture or suchlike, without possibility of direct contact with the air and/or the parts of the body of the operator of such an apparatus. It does indeed often happen, for instance in the chemical industry, that the substances whichhave to be treated,

such as liquids, mixtures or suchlike which are corrosive or extremely volatile, either spread poisonous vapors when allowed to come into contact with air, or that the contact with air produces chemical reactions which are totally undesirable and in certain cases dangerous.

The apparatus according to the present invention, which boasts aforementioned as well as other advantages, consists for this purpose of a combination of an outer and an inner element, so that one of these elements is provided at one of its extremities with at least one cavity the content of which corresponds to the dose of the product, liquid or suchlike to be handled.

In order to show more clearly the characteristics of the present invention, a few preferred forms of embodiment of such an apparatus are described below, merely as example and without the slightest intent of limitation, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a front view of van apparatus according to the invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 show views which are similar to that of FIG. 1, but for two different characteristic positions;

FIG. 4, 5, 6 and 7 respectively show cross-sections according tolines IV-IV, V-V, VI-VI and VII-VII in H6. 3;

FIG. 8 represents, on a larger scale, that part of FIG. 7 which is indicated by F8;

FIG. 9 shows a cross-section which is similar to that of FIG. 7 but of an alternative form of embodiment;

FIG. 10 shows an alternative for that part of FIG. 9 indicated by A.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show alternative forms of embodi ment of the apparatus according to the invention. more particularly with respect to the actual transfer section;

FIGS. 13, 16, 20, 23, 27, 30 and 34 show alternative forms of embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention;

FIGS. 14 and 15 are respectively cross-sections according to lines XIVXIV and XV-XV in FIG. 13;

FIGS. 17, 18 and 19 respectively show cross-sections according to the lines XVII-XVII, XVIII-XVIII and XIX-XIX in FIG. 16;

FIGS. 21 and 22, respectively show cross-sections according to the lines XXI-XXI, and XXII-XXII in FIG. 20;

FIGS. 24, 25 and 26 respectively show cross-sections according to the lines XXIV-XXIV, XXV-XXV and XXVIXXVI in FIG. 23;

FIGS. 28 and 29 respectively show cross-sections according to lines XXVIII-XXVIII and XXIX-XXIX in FIG. 27;

FIGS. 31 and 35, respectively show side views of FIGS. 30 and 34;

FIGS. 32 and 33 respectively show cross-sections according to lines XXXII-XXXII and XXXlllI-XXXIII in FIG. 30,

FIGS. 36 and 37 respectively show cross-sections according to lines XXXVI-XXXVI and XXXVI]- XXXVI] of FIG. 34.

In FIGS. 1 to 7 a first form of embodiment is shown of an apparatus according to the present invention, whereby this apparatus is mainly made up of two main parts, namely a so-called first longitudinal element or outer part 1 and a so-called second longitudinal element or inner part 2.

The outer part consists in this form of embodiment mainly of an elongated body 3, which is provided towards its lower end with a widened part 4 of predetermined height, whereby in this case vertical walls are applied to the side walls of this widened part, respectively 5 and 6, which are connected together by a front wall 7 at their free ends. Towards its upper end, aforesaid body 3 is also provided with a widened part 8, whereby two walls respectively 9 and 10 are applied to this part and spaced at a distance which is preferably equal to the width of aforesaid body 3 and whereby the free ends of walls 9 and 10 are connected to each other by means of a bridge 11.

Aforesaid internal part 2 in this case has an elongated body 12 which is preferably as wide as the width of the body 3 and the thickness of which preferably corresponds to the distance between aforesaid parts 4 and 7 on the one hand and 8 and 11 on the other hand.

This body 12 is constructed in such a way that it fits slidingly in the guiding element formed by elements 8, 9, l0 and 11, whilst body 2 is provided towards its lower end with a widened part 13 the outer dimensions of which are such that they form a slidable close fit in the cavity enclosed by parts 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the outer element 1.

In aforesaid widened part 13 at least one cavity is provided which has a well determined height and width and which extends from the front wall of the apparatus to the rear wall.

Finally, such an apparatus will preferably be provided with a device comprising releasable detent means which permits the position of the inner part 2 to be adjusted and frictionally held with precision with regards to the outer part 1.

For this purpose, and in this form of embodiment, aforesaid body 12 is provided in its side which is directed towards body 3 with two grooves respectively and 16, whilst the rear wall of body 3 is provided with a protrusion or suchlike, for instance a ball 17 which is constantly pressed by means of a spring 18 towards body 12 and whereby this spring is applied against screw 19 which has been provided for the purpose in body 3.

Aforesaid grooves 16 and 15 are provided in such a manner in body 12, that when they co-operate with aforesaid protrusion or ball 17, aforesaid cavity 14 is located in one position entirely within aforesaid walls 4 and 7, whilst in the second case this cavity is located entirely outside these walls.

The use and operation of such an apparatus is extremely simple and as follows.

It will indeed be sufficient in order for instance to enter a product, liquid, mixture or suchlike in aforesaid cavity 14, to plunge such an apparatus, in the position shown in FIG. 7, into this product, liquid, mixture or suchlike and subsequently to move body 2 upward with respect to body 3 in order to obtain that a predetermined dose of the product, liquid, mixture or suchlike is being enclosed in cavity 14.

In this manner such a product or liquid can either be displaced, or temporarily stored, in order later on to be introduced in another liquid, mixture or suchlike, without the product having come into contact with the air, with parts of the body or suchlike.

In order to liberate the product, liquid or suchlike which is enclosed in chamber 14, it will be sufficient to plunge the apparatus in a product, liquid or suchlike and subsequently to displace the inner part 2 downward with respect to the outer part 1 by means of the upper part of body 12, so that the product, liquid or suchlike is liberated in the other product or liquid.

It is obvious that aforesaid widened part 13 must fit very closely between parts 4 and 7 so as to obtain a positive sealing of part 13 with respect to walls 4 to 7 in such a manner as to seal off the entered product hermetically.

Depending upon the application in view, or respectively upon the product, liquid, mixture of suchlike which has to be manipulated, such an apparatus can be constructed out of all sorts of materials.

This sealing will indeed not merely depend amongst others upon the materials used and the mass of elements 13 with respect to the mass of walls 4 to 7, but consideration will also have to be given to the fact that in the case of certain liquids, such as liquids containing a certain amount of heat, the apparatus may be sealed by expansion, respectively retraction, of the apparatus when it is removed from such a liquid, so that the expansion, or respectively retraction, can be compensated when it is introduced into another liquid which has the same or a different degree of warmth.

It is quite obvious that the shape and dimensions of such an apparatus must be adapted to the requirements, such as for instance the product or liquid itself which has to be handled, the containers out of which, or respectively into which, such product, liquid, mixture or suchlike must be extracted, respectively supplied, as well as the quantity of product or liquid which has to be taken up, or respectively liberated.

It is equally obvious that such an apparatus can also be constructed with two or more chambers, as shown schematically in FIGS. 1 to 7, by the extra partition W which divides chamber 14 into two chambers 20 and 21. Such a form of embodiment with two chambers is also represented in FIG. 9. These two or several chambers can have equal or different capacities.

We thus obtain that in such an apparatus either the chambers with similar capacity, or with different capacities can be filled with products, liquids, mixtures or suchlike in such a manner that the supply of these products, liquids, mixtures or suchlike in one or several other liquids or mixtures, can happen either successively or simultaneously.

It is quite obvious that in the case where several chambers have been foreseen, an extra groove will have to be provided in aforesaid body 12 for each extra chamber. As can amongst others be seen in FIG. 9, in such a form of embodiment with two chambers, an extra groove 22 has been provided between grooves 15 and 16, in order to obtain that when the protrusion or ball 17 co-operates with groove 22, partition 23 shall be just opposite the free extremity of aforesaid widened part 3 and consequently still seals off upper chamber 20 whilst lower chamber 21 can be emptied.

In FIG. 10, the lower part of FIG. 8 is illustrated, yet for a form of embodiment in which chambers 20 and 21 are walled-off by partitions, respectively 24, 25 and 26, which progressively taper off from the center of aforesaid chamber towards the sides, so as in certain cases to obtain a better sealing of cavities 20 and 21.

It is indeed possible in certain cases to provide internal element 2 entirely or partially out of some elastic material, so that a permanent sealing can be obtained of the cavities formed, without such sealing being dependent for instance upon the expansion coefficients of the co-operating parts. At least one of the elements is made out of some elastic material.

In FIGS. 11 and 12 two forms of embodiment are shown of aforesaid cavities 20 and 21 which have been provided in a part 13, whereby, in order to be able to empty these cavities successively, special provisions have been made. In the case of FIG. 11 cavity 21 is made L-shaped, whilst cavity 20 is located above the horizontal leg of the L shape.

For the same purpose, we see that in FIG. 12 at the location of cavity 20 aforesaid walls 4 and 7 have been extended downward by a skirt 27.

The operation of these apparatus is the same as that described previously.

In FIGS. 13 to 15 a form of embodiment is shown in which the internal part 2 is formed by a rod 28 which is provided towards its bottom with two cylindrical discs, respectively 29 and 30, with a well defined diameter. These discs operate as pistons in a cylinder 31 which is connected with a housing 32 which has been provided around aforesaid rod 28. The top end of housing 32 is provided with a widened edge 33 which provides a support for outer part 1.

The performance of this apparatus is identical to that described for the apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 7, although in this case, in order to facilitate the emptying process, a longitudinal groove 34 is provided in rod 28, which supplies air into cavity when it is being emptied. This apparatus can obviously only be used when the product, liquid, mixture or suchlike which is fed into cavity 20 is such that it may remain in contact with arr.

in FIGS. 16 to 19 an apparatus is illustrated in which the filling and the emptying is carried out by rotating the inner part with respect to the outer part.

In this case the outer part 1 is made up of a body 35 which is provided towards its upper end with a handle 36 and is also provided towards its lower end with a widened cylindrical part 37. In this part 37 a closing slider 38 is provided which is connected with a rod 39 which, on the outside of part 1, carries a cross bar 40.

Upon aforesaid slide 38, partitions respectively 42, 43 and 44 are provided between its top wall and the bottom surface 41 of cylindrical part 37, whilst an opening 45 is provided in the side wall of cylindrical part 37.

In this manner two or more chambers are also obtained, in this case 20 and 21, which are totally sealed off, and whereby the respective filling and emptying of the apparatus is simply carried out by rotating rod 39 by means of bar 40 so as to bring either chamber 20 or chamber 21 opposite opening 45.

In FIGS. 20 to 22 an apparatus is illustrated which can for instance be used for application to containers with a relatively narrow opening, whereby this apparatus is mainly made up of a cylindrical housing 46 in which an up-and-down sliding inner part 2 is provided, which in this case is formed by pistons respectively 47 and 48, connected to each other by a rod 49 of relatively small diameter, and whereby piston 48 is connected to a rod 50 which protrudes from the body. It is quite obvious that dependent upon the requirements specified for the apparatus, several pistons can be fitted to rod 49 so as to form several chambers.

The performance remains the same as that previously described.

In FIGS. 23 to 26 a further apparatus is illustrated which can very appropriately be used for respectively extracting or introducing products or liquids from or in containers only having a narrow opening.

In this case the apparatus is made up of a cylindrical housing 51 which is internally provided towards its lower end with a collar 52, this collar being provided at a well specified location with an opening 53. In this cylindrical body, towards its lower end, a slidable sleeve 54 is fitted, which is provided towards its upper end with a circumferential collar 55 which can cooperate with aforesaid internal collar 52 of part 51, and whereby this sleeve is provided laterally with an opening 56.

Finally, in cylindrical housing 51 a piston 57 is fitted which is provided with a rod 58 which can be acted upon by the operator of the apparatus.

In this case, by displacement of piston 57, the product or liquid enclosed in chamber 14 will press upon sleeve 54 and move the latter downward so as to bring opening 56 under the lower free extremity of cylindrical tube 51, so that aforesaid product or liquid is allowed to flow away. Conversely, when piston 58 is displaced upward, the product or liquid will be suckedup through opening 56 in such a manner that by further movement of piston 57, when cavity 14 is filled, sleeve 54 itself will be sucked upward so as to seal off the apparatus.

Finally, FIGS. 30 to 37 describe two further forms of embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention, whereby in these cases the inner part 2 of the apparatus each time consists of a spoon-shaped body 62, whilst outer part 1 is constructed in such a manner, for instance by the provision of a guiding element 63, that spoon 62 is always pressed against body 64 of part 1.

Stem 65 can be of any appropriate length.

In all the forms of embodiment described above, the performance of the apparatus is practically the same.

It is perfectly obvious that in all these fon'ns of embodiment detents can be provided, by means of which the apparatus can be blocked in any particular position.

The present invention is of course by no means limited to the forms of embodiment described above and illustrated in the appended drawings, but such an apparatus can be constructed in many shapes and dimensions, without going beyond the scope of the present invention.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for taking a sample of a material, comprising: an inner longitudinal element having an elongated body portion with substantially parallel front and rear walls and parallel side walls, and an enlarged material receiving portion at one end having parallel front and rear walls and side walls spaced apart a distance greater than that between said parallel side walls, the enlarged portion being provided with a material receiving cavity extending inwardly thereof from the front wall; and an outer longitudinal element having an elongated body portion with parallel, spaced apart front and rear walls and parallel, spaced apart side walls, and an enlarged portion at one end having spaced apart front and rear walls and spaced apart side walls, the inner and outer longitudinal elements being mounted so as to be able to longitudinally slide with respect to each other between a first material retaining position wherein the enlarged portion of the inner element is enclosed within the enlarged portion of the outer element and a second material receiving and discharging position wherein the enlarged portion of the second element is disposed outside the enlarged portion of the outer element, the enlarged portion of one of said inner and outer elements being made of elastic material, the front and rear walls of the outer en larged portion frictionally engaging the front and rear walls of the inner enlarged portion with a tight, sliding fit thereby providing a hermetic seal for said cavity when the inner and outer elements are disposed in said first position; and releasable detent means adapted to frictionally hold said inner and outer elements with respect to each other at least in material receiving or discharging position.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the enlarged portion of the inner element is made of elastic material and the means to releasably hold the inner and outer elements includes means to releasably hold them in said first material retaining position and the releasable holding means is constituted by grooves in one of said inner and outer elements and by releasable detent means engageable in said grooves and mounted on the other of said inner and outer elements.

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1. Apparatus for taking a sample of a material, comprising: an inner longitudinal element having an elongated body portion with substantially parallel front and rear walls and parallel side walls, and an enlarged material receiving portion at one end having parallel front and rear walls and side walls spaced apart a distance greater than that between said parallel side walls, the enlarged portion being provided with a material receiving cavity extending inwardly thereof from the front wall; and an outer longitudinal element having an elongated body portion with parallel, spaced apart front and rear walls and parallel, spaced apart side walls, and an enlarged portion at one end having spaced apart front and rear walls and spaced apart side walls, the inner and outer longitudinal elements being mounted so as to be able to longitudinally slide with respect to each other between a first material retaining position wherein the enlarged portion of the inner element is enclosed within the enlarged portion of the outer element and a second material receiving and discharging position wherein the enlarged portion of the second element is disposed outside the enlarged portion of the outer element, the enlarged portion of one of said inner and outer elements being made of elastic material, the front and rear walls of the outer enlarged portion frictionally engaging the front and rear walls of the inner enlarged portion with a tight, sliding fit thereby providing a hermetic seal for said cavIty when the inner and outer elements are disposed in said first position; and releasable detent means adapted to frictionally hold said inner and outer elements with respect to each other at least in material receiving or discharging position.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the enlarged portion of the inner element is made of elastic material and the means to releasably hold the inner and outer elements includes means to releasably hold them in said first material retaining position and the releasable holding means is constituted by grooves in one of said inner and outer elements and by releasable detent means engageable in said grooves and mounted on the other of said inner and outer elements. 